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Douglas Severance

Bio

Dr. Severance, a Sharecare Editorial Advisory Board member, is a family practice physician with a private medical practice in San Ramon, California. He is board certified by both the American Board of Family Medicine and the American Board of Addiction Medicine. He has been medical director for several detoxification and rehabilitation programs, both inpatient and outpatient, since the 1980's, and has practiced family medicine since 1979.

Education:
• MD: Loma Linda University

Residency:
• Glendale Adventist Medical Center

Internship:
• Glendale Adventist Medical Center

Certification:
• American Board of Family Practice
• American Board of Addiction Medicine
• American Society of Addiction Medicine

Specialties:

  • family medicine

Location:

Activity

  • Douglas Severance
    Douglas Severance answered:
    Which schizophrenia medications are most effective?
    It is hard to say which schizophrenia medications are the most effective, although clozapine may be most effective at treating psychotic symptoms. People are affected by medications in different ways. All antipsychotic medications can help to reduce hallucinations, thought disorders, and...  Full Post
  • Douglas Severance
    Douglas Severance answered:
    What are the safest schizophrenia medications?
    All schizophrenia medication, also known as antipsychotic medications, have the risk for side effects. The newer class of medications for schizophrenia, called atypical antipsychotics, may be more desirable than those that were initially used to treat symptoms of schizophrenia, called con...  Full Post
  • Douglas Severance
    Douglas Severance answered:
    What are some serious side effects from schizophrenia medications?
    Schizophrenia medications, also known as antipsychotic medications, can cause many side effects, including agranulocytosis and tardive dyskinesia, which may be quite severe. There are two classes of antipsychotic medications for schizophrenia: typical (conventional) and atypical (second genera...  Full Post
  • Douglas Severance
    Douglas Severance answered:
    Why is the schizophrenia medicine clozapine controversial?
    Clozapine is an antipsychotic medication used to treat schizophrenia that can cause potentially serious side effects. Clozapine, also known as Clozaril, is part of a new generation of antipsychotic medications known as second generation or atypical antipsychotics. This class of drugs emerged...  Full Post
  • Douglas Severance
    Douglas Severance answered:
    Can people with schizophrenia live alone?
    Many people with schizophrenia are able to live independently. However, this is not the case for all people with schizophrenia. There are several things that people with schizophrenia should know to overcome the difficulties of their illness and live on their own:
    •  Early diagnosis and t
    ...  Full Post
  • Douglas Severance
    Douglas Severance answered:
    Why do people with schizophrenia have trouble with their hygiene?
    People with schizophrenia often have trouble with personal hygiene in addition to many other daily life functions, due to the negative symptoms associated with schizophrenia. Negative symptoms can cause a great amount of difficulty for people living with schizophrenia. Examples of negative...  Full Post
  • Douglas Severance
    Douglas Severance answered:
    Why do people with schizophrenia hear and see things that are not real?
    Hearing and seeing things that are not real, also known as auditory and visual hallucinations, are psychotic symptoms associated with schizophrenia. Experts don't know the exact cause of the psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia, although research has revealed that an underlying chemical im...  Full Post
  • Douglas Severance
    Douglas Severance answered:
    What is it like to have schizophrenia and hear voices?
    Auditory hallucinations, in which a person hears things that are not really there, are the most common type of hallucination experienced by people with schizophrenia. Sometimes these voices provide a running commentary on the day's events. A person with schizophrenia may hear voices making commands...  Full Post
  • Douglas Severance
    Douglas Severance answered:
    Do people with schizophrenia have similar symptoms?
    While some people with schizophrenia have similar symptoms, schizophrenia affects people in very different ways. The symptoms of schizophrenia are separated into three groups: positive symptoms (delusions, hallucinations, strange thoughts and behaviors), negative symptoms (lack of emotion,...  Full Post
  • Douglas Severance
    Douglas Severance answered:
    Is schizophrenia a disease?
    To understand whether schizophrenia is a disease, it is important to understand the definition of disease. According to the Merriam-Webster Medline Plus Medical Dictionary, disease is present when a person's normal, healthy state changes and that person starts to show signs and symptoms of...  Full Post
  • Douglas Severance
    Douglas Severance answered:
    How does a doctor screen someone for schizoaffective disorder?
    When a person visits a doctor and has symptoms of schizophrenia and a major mood disorder, the doctor may screen him for schizoaffective disorder. The doctor will first ask the person if he has experienced any psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations, paranoia, or delusions. He or she will...  Full Post
  • Douglas Severance
    Douglas Severance answered:
    What is therapy treatment for schizoaffective disorder?
    Like people with schizophrenia, people with schizoaffective disorder often fare best when medication therapy and psychosocial therapies are combined. In a therapy setting, people with schizoaffective disorder can learn new ways to live a healthier lives. They can become better educated about...  Full Post
  • Douglas Severance
    Douglas Severance answered:
    What is the medication treatment for schizoaffective disorder?
    Several different types of medications are used to treat schizoaffective disorder. When therapy is combined with medication treatment, people usually have the best prognosis. Antipsychotic medications can help to reduce the psychotic features of schizoaffective disorder. These antipsychotic...  Full Post
  • Douglas Severance
    Douglas Severance answered:
    What are the psychotic symptoms of schizoaffective disorder?
    The psychotic symptoms of schizoaffective disorder are similar to the psychotic features of schizophrenia. Typically, psychotic features of schizoaffective disorder include hallucinations, delusions, and paranoid thoughts.

    Hallucinations associated with schizoaffective disorder often include...  Full Post
  • Douglas Severance
    Douglas Severance answered:
    Does schizoaffective disorder run in families?
    Schizoaffective disorder does run in families, although experts don't know exactly how schizoaffective is passed down through a family. Schizoaffective disorder, like schizophrenia, is partly caused by genes. You may know that your height, eye, and hair color are often similar to your close...  Full Post